Dealing with employee issues in the work place…

As a department manager, conflict resolution is part of the job; and dealing with the conflict resolution in a professional and impartial manner is important to resolving an issue.  When an issue does arise, it is important to handle it quickly and efficiently.  However, prior to meeting with an employee, preparation on my part is of key importance to handling the situation at hand.

Currently, I have an employee of two years who is performing at a substandard level.  I have received numerous complaints from coworkers and customers in regards to this employee.  Unfortunately, this employee has also displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile work environment.  Therefore, as department manager it would be my responsibility to listen to the customers and coworkers concerns and address these issues with the employee named.

Prior to meeting with the employee I would prepare myself by using the imagined interaction technique, where I would think about what I might say and how the other would respond.  However, because no one can ever know how another will respond, I would “think about the interaction in an “if-then” kind of way:  If he says “x,” I will tell him “y”” (Cahn, Abigail, 2007).  This way, I would have more control of the situation.  I would also review all documentations of complaints to ensure that I have all information needed for the meeting in order to bring the employee up to standards.

Conflict and Communication:  A Personal Look

     In our daily lives we are involved in relationships be it at work, home, school or in general.  And, when dealing with these relationships, we come across individuals with different ideas, agendas, values, personal history and personalities than our own.  Because of these types of relationship differences, conflict often arises and throws off the balance of the relationship.  However, how we communicate when dealing with the conflict will largely depend on whether the outcome is positive or negative.  Thus, developing a best practice list to deal with conflict before it arises is a positive step in the right direction.

     Conflict is inevitable, and being aware of this and having a plan to be able to deal with a conflict should be the first step to conflict management.  When creating a plan, first and most important, is to understand that people have differences and one must learn to be “flexible, accepting, understanding and non-judgmental of the other person’s views, opinions or communication style” (Conner, 2009, p. 1), as often, one of the above is the root of communication difficulties.  Furthermore, in conflict management planning “the ability to take a meta-conflict perspective, where you can look back on the conflicts you have experienced, analyze what you did well and what you did poorly, and learn from your mistakes” (Cahn, Abigail, 2007) will further move one in a positive direction toward the understanding of conflict resolution.

     When a conflict situation does present itself, one must “adopt a mindset that embraces conflict as an opportunity while recognizing the risks involved in it” (Cahn, Abigail, 2007).  “Each individual needs to be responsible for his/her actions and maintain flexibility when dealing with the conflict.  Although this is a positive step in managing conflict, flexible communication does not mean the conflict itself will be settled” (Lombard, 2010, p. 2). 

Media Technology:  Online Newspapers

The Newspaper has been around since the early 17^th century, so it is hard to believe that the paper form of the newspaper is slowly being replaced by the online newspaper.  What began as posting past issues of printed newspapers online has now turned in to online current newspapers.  Today, there are online newspaper sites springing up onto the internet without ever having been in paper form.  One of the main reasons for this is that the public wants the news now and by going online, the information is available with just a few clicks.

Many of the new, solely online newspaper sites charge a subscribers fee, but at this time, most local online newspapers are free to read; however, I see this changing within the next few years. 

Personally, I like the paper newspaper better than reading online.  This is because I spend my entire day online and it is nice to get away from the monitor for awhile.  I don’t think the paper form of newspapers will go away any time soon, especially when the local online newspaper sites begin to charge for the privilege.  The online newspaper is geared toward young adults in their twenties and thirties.  As Jay Small states in his blog, “Print for older readers, online for rest” (http://jaysmall.com/old/blog/jay-small/2008/11/06/print-for-older-readers-online-for-rest).

History of American Newspapers. Retrieved online January 12, 2010 from

     http://journalism.wikia.com/wiki/History_of_American_Newspapers%2C_Part_1

JaySmallArchive (2009).  Print for older readers, online for rest.  Retrieved online January 12, 2010 from

     http://jaysmall.com/old/blog/jay-small/2008/11/06/print-for-older-readers-online-for-rest

Media Technology:  E-mail

In the early 70s, Ray Tomlinson thought it would be a neat idea to be able to send messages via the internet, thus he created the e-mail.  What began as a method to send messages to each other on the same computer, turned into a method to send messages to anyone who was on the ARPANET internet network.  Tomlinson, “a computer engineer for Bolt Beranek and Newman, the company hired by the United States Defense Department to build the first internet in 1968” (Bellis, p. 1), used the @ symbol in order to identify the computer from where the message was received.  The first e-mail was sent between two computers sitting side-by-side.

Tomlinson’s invention of the e-mail transformed workplace and personal communication. Over the years, e-mail began to take the place of talking on the telephone, or face-to-face communication.  In the work place, e-mail allows one to keep records of all conversations had with co-workers and other businesses.  This is something that cannot be done with instant messaging and chat sites.  However, I do see instant messaging and chat sites on facebook, etc., replacing e-mails for personal use.  E-mail was at one time the next best thing to the telephone, but now instant messages have taken its place.  Personally, I enjoy e-mails.  If I need an instant answer to something, I will use my phone or IM; otherwise, I use e-mails.  E-mails are a big part of my work.  We correspond with clients and our drivers by e-mail.  If we do not receive an answer in a specific amount of time, then we use the telephone.  E-mail is geared toward teens to senior citizens.

Bellis, M. About.com Guide:  History of Email & Ray Tomlinson.  Retrieved online January 11, 2010 from

     http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/email.htm

Media Technology:  The Internet

The internet is often left out when referring to media technology.  This is most likely because the internet has been around for quite some time and people have become accustom to using it on a daily basis.  Whether at work or home the internet is a part of almost everyone’s lives.  The internet is for all ages.  As soon as a child can learn to use a computer, the internet becomes a part of their lives.  However, the internet took years and years to develop to where it is today. 

In 1962 the internet began as way for computers to share information in the fields of science and the military.  The internet was designed in a way as for some sites to continue to work even under nuclear attack. Over the years, the internet developed into a tool for scientific research, education and the government and any other use was prohibited.  However, in the early 90s independent commercial networks began to grow.  These networks were able to route around the government funded NSFNet and limitations on the internet was lifted.  In 1992, the internet became open to public subscribers.

“The early days of the web were a confused period as many developers tried to put their personal stamp on ways the web should develop. The web was threatened with becoming a mass of unrelated protocols that would require different software for different applications. The visionary Michael Dertouzos of MIT's Laboratory for Computer Sciences persuaded Tim Berners-Lee and others to form the World Wide Web Consortium in 1994 to promote and develop standards for the Web. Proprietary plug-ins still abound for the web, but the Consortium has ensured that there are common standards present in every browser” (Howe, 2010).  What began as a means for research, education and the government to share information was transformed into the internet we know today.

Howe, W. (2010). A Brief History of the Internet. Retrieved online January 11, 2010 from

     http://www.walthowe.com/navnet/history.html

Media Technology:  Social Networks

“Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular online” (http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/). 
Facebook is one of the most popular social networking media technologies of today.  It is a place to connect with old friends and make new friends.  One can share their thoughts, photos, videos, or anything else they want to.  I use this technology often.  I have become addicted to the games you can play on facebook, and keeping up with what is going on in the day-to-day lives of my friends.  Facebook also allows you to chat live with friends that are on facebook at the same time as you.  It is a great social networking tool. Another popular social networking site is MySpace. 
MySpace is like facebook in the way that individuals can keep up with current friends and develop new friendships.  At one time, MySpace was the social networking place to be, but it has quickly been replaced by facebook and other sites.   
Twitter is another popular social networking tool of today.  It is social networking designed for short comments of approximately 140 characters called “tweets.”  It is compared to a bird chirping and that is how the messages became known as tweets.  It is somewhat like blogging, except that it is shorter in nature.  I have used Twitter, but find it less informative than facebook. 
Social Networking sites once were for teens and young adults, but that has changed.  People of all ages use these social networking sites.

What is Social Networking?  Retrieved online at (http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/). 

First Class at Ashford: Assignment

I hate those damn lanterns and I hate…….

     I remember it as though it were yesterday.  I was sitting on my living room couch reading an article in TIME magazine, when I glanced at the clock only to discover it was 5 minutes after the time I was to be at a friends’ house cleaning.  I sat for a moment contemplating what I should do.  Being a responsible person, my first idea was to get up and get moving.  It was a 20 minute drive to his house and by the time I got there and got things ready to start cleaning, it would be 45 minutes later.  I thought for a minute.  Is there anything else I have to do today?  Nope.  Well, that answered my first thought.  I decided to sit back and continue to read the article I started.

     I’m not even sure what caught my attention in the first place, but I appeared to be struck by something I read relative to the subject of the article.  A subject matter I usually didn’t concern myself with because it depressed me when I thought of all the people throughout the world who were affected by it.  But this particular day I couldn’t put the magazine down and once I finished, and for another unknown reason, went back and read it again.  Once I completed my second round of reading, I knew I had to get moving.

     To get moving to clean is something that has plagued me all my life.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I do clean, I just don’t like to clean; and the realization that for the next 4 hours I would be cleaning the house of a man who had an unbelievable collection of lanterns wasn’t my idea of cleaning.  It was pure torture.  To remove every glass top and then wash it in the sink, and dust each and every base with a special cleaner to me was excruciatingly painful.  And, on top of that, he had beautiful hardwood floors in the living room area of his home, which needed to be cleaned and waxed once a month…And, guess what, this was that once a month day!!!  In spite of all the extreme suffering cleaning his house, (ummmm, I mean lanterns) would cause me, I had to remember, he was kind enough to offer this opportunity as I was between jobs, therefore, needing the money, I really had to get a grip and suffer on!!  So, I got into my car, and off I went to my buddy’s house.

Introducing...ME

I am Teri from PA.  I have created this blog for a communications class I'm enrolled in.  After graduation, I plan on continuing to blog as a way to communicate to the world around me.  I'm just in the beginning stages and don't know much about blogging, so please bare with me as we take this journey together!